Machine and method for packaging and crushing tablets



1.. SALFISBERG 2,478,505 MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PACKAGING AN BUSHING TABLETS F d Jan. so, 1946 Aug. 9, '1949.

I lm uuM 16 .J INVENTOR.

AT TORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1949 ,MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PACKAGING AND CRUSHING TABLETS Leroy Salfisberg, South Orange, N. J., assignor to Ivers-Lee Company, Newark, N. J., poration of Delaware Application January 30, 1946, Serial No. 644,370

The invention relates to the packaging or wrapping of articles in containers formed of sheet material, for example,- paper, cellophane, Pliofilm and especially sheet materialwhich itself is thermoplastic and can be softened by heat or :such articles after theyhave been deposited between juxtaposed layers of the packaging mate- ;rial. 1

Another object is to provide apparatus of this :character that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and highly efficient in operation.

Another object is to provide a tablet of novel construction for facilitating the crushing thereof.

Other objects, results and advantages of the invention will be brought out by the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of the center portion of a machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is atop plan-view of the rollers shown in Figure 1. i

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan view of a tablet adapted to be used with the improved machine and formed to facilitate crushing, and

Figure 4 is an edge view of the tablet of Figure 3. Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, thepackaging material is fed in the form of strips I and 2 from a pair of supply rolls such as shown in my Patent No.

2,083,617. The packaging material may be for example chlorinated rubber otherwise known as Pliofilm, or cellophane having a thermoplastic coating on one side thereof or other suitable material. The strips pass over guide rollers 3 and 4 past the article feeding and depositing mechanism including crimping and sealing rollers 5 and 6 and may thence pass to a severing mechanism (not shown).

The feeding and depositing mechanism may be such as shown in my Patent No. 2,083,617 or in my copending application Serial No. 560,306 filed October 25, 1944, which has matured into Patent Number 2,420,982, dated May 20, 1947, including a commodity releasing structure positioned direct- 4' Claims. (01. 93-3) 2 p 6. This structureincludes a chute 1 containing the articles Aand a spring 8 to retain the tablets in the chute and to prevent the endmost tablet in line from falling. A plunger member 9. inter-,- mittently operable in timed 'relation torotation of the rollers 5 and 6, is provided for pushing the tablets in succession past the spring 8 and outof the chute I sothat .they. may fall downwardly between the rollers. 5

The strips of packaging material are fed or drawn from the supply rollsiunder tension by the crimping rollers 5 and 6. These rollers are fastened to shafts Ill and l I, respectively, which are rotatably mounted'in bearings I-2 and i3, respectively, in a wall [4 of the-frame. l 5 of the machine. Shaft H3 is connected to a drive shaft Iii which is operatively connected to a suitable source of power. The rollers have complemental registering. recesses I! to provide a clearance space between them for the tablets A between the layers I and 2, the recesses being spaced circumferentially of the rollers. Between the recesses ll, the peripheries of the rollers have circumferential and transverse grooves or other suitable roughened or serrated surfaces [8 for transversely crimping or corrugating and pressing together the layers I and 2 as at. [9 between two adjacent tablets, and at their ends corresponding to the free edges of thelayers I and 2, the rollers are formed with suitable peripheral serrated or roughened surfaces 20to press together and crimp or corrugate the longitudinal edge portions ofthe layers as at 2|. 1, j 7 I To effect the complementary rotation of the rollers, the shafts l0; and 'llare provided with gears 22 and 23, respectively, as's'hown in Figure 2, These two gears engage each other so as to cause the rotation of the rollers in timed relationship with respect to other moving parts of the packaging machine and with respect to each other in a manner such that the recesses I'I coincide with each other as the rollers are rotated in opposite directions.

When thematerial of the package is heat sealable, the rollers may be heated by any suitable electrical heating devices 25 such as shown in my Patent No. 2,180,966 for heating the packaging material or the thermoplastic coating thereon at the same time that pressure is applied to the layers by the serrated surfaces 20 and 2i of the rollers.

According to the present invention, while the tablet is being enclosed and sealed Within the package, it is crushed to a granular condition.

,ly above the intersection of the two rollers 5 and For this purpose, the base of each recess ll is formed with a centrally disposed solid projecting member 24, preferably having a rounded outer end. These members project only sufilcient'to provide a space between the opposed members 24 which is less in width than the thickness of the tablet.

In packaging the tablets, thegrollers 5, 5 pull the strips -'and 2 fidm suitablesupply rolls and the transverse and peripheral crimping surfaces I8 and 29 respectively seal said strips together in transverseand longitudinal marginal zones to form compartments for the tablets? "Immediately after each transverse sealed zone is formed, a tablet is pushed from the chute-Pinto thespace between said strips l and 2 and above said transverse zone. Preferably the plunger 9 follows the tablet to hold it in positionbetweensaid strips;

for a time until the continued rotation ofthe rollers causes a sufiicient closing of the compartment around the tablet to prevent displacement of the tablet, whereupon theiplunger is'twithdrawn to its normal :position. Cp'ntinuedrotation of the rollers then- -causes1.a complete sealing of the packaging 'material around the tablet.

' Simultaneously withithe sealing .of. the l0ngitudina1. ;edg es"offitheqstrips l and 2,. the projecting member's .or'crushing" studs squeeze between them through thastrips: land .2, the tablet that is located in the recesses I! that are in register between ,1311611'01181'8, the fiexible strips yielding under the pressuretimposediby the studs 23. The tablet; is thereby 1 crushedinto small. pieces or granules as indicatedat 26in Figure 1.

-From the crimpingand crushing rollers, the stripcarryingthetabletsifis fed'to a severing or shearing mechanism of any suitable constructions.--""'---- The tablet. A. to .1 be packaged and. crushed is shownas a circular formed: of powdered'material which may be EIOOVBdiDIISCOIBdiOl'l opposite faces as at 21 to facilitateicrushing thereof. This grooving ortscoringi. also provides a maximum of surface area for contactwithliquidpto expedite 019 10 of the ablet "should :it;b.e: used without h g, V

If .d.es re he tab1 ets,,, may first be enclosed between the layers gofgpackaging, material, for example by rollers like theirollers 5.;and16i but not haying the studs 24', and thereafter the package strip A could :be ;passed,through other means, e, g., rollershavi ng studslike. the s'tudsJZA; for the H-FHQ Q fpru hine hetabletsl,

What I claim is; V

1. A tabletpackag-ingand crushing apparatus om r s ngapa r irotative: lem nts having a1- e tna er essesand primninss r aces s h ments being mounted for rotation with the recesses and crimping surfaces coming into respective mutual engagement in rotation, means for feeding opposed layers of packaging material between such rotative elements and means for feedmg tablets between said layers, said rotative elements having devices for crnsl' ing the tablets between saidlayers.

2. In a packaging machine, means for supplying layers of packaging material in spaced opposed relation toeach other, means for depositing a material 'tobe packaged between said layers, a pair of opposed parallel rotatable rollers having recesses in their'peripheries for receiving said layers and the material therebetween, said rollers having crimpedsurfaces surrounding said recesses for crimping and encasing said material between said layers and projecting members formed centrally of said recesses for crushing the material partially encased between the layers.

he stepsjin: a.methad.oit acka in ert c e consisting in.continuouslrfeedins.l pn sedn trms f pa a i mate al cny rsinely;d wnwardly, nse tin an articletetween aidstrins. se l said. str ps together en rers lra .theirmee in oi e ow e arti le. d alonstheirlone u ir nal d es andsimultaneeus y, rushingthe, rtic e e ee said strips nde ast y; al n he. s r transversely above the art 1e.

4. In a packasin t iach. a eans orvsu p ins a e s r, ackasin lmaterial paced, p..- posed rentionto. aehnth r; meansior enosit n i l q packaged etw en aidley ra. and means r multa eoiisl l re sina aid, ye st se he ith ai w at r al; etween. hem". and crushing said material, including a pair cropposed p ra el. otat ble o ers. avm ecess in ir g he esi r e g' ins. aidz ayersand id. t ial I w re. I a sea a d ollersav n projecting members in said recesses to exert presr n aid. ayers. o rus ing e mater a h w ea nd. ei t ns a roller in opposite directiens,"

ALF SBER REFERENCES organ The following references .are of record in the file of thisipatentz" Y UNITED Ire Name Number Date 1,728,969 Headless Sept. 24, 1929 1,971,485; Hosiner" 'Augi28 1934 2,083,617 Salfisberg June" 15; 1937 2,424,103. Lobley 'et al.'. Jul'yt15, 1947 2,447,258. 

